Hand in Hand & Belize Bank Handover New Home on Jane Usher Boulevard
A single mother and her three children will spend the Christmas in a more comfortable fashion. Earlier today the folks at Belize Bank along with Hand in Hand Ministries handed over keys to a new home to the Martinez family on Jane Usher Boulevard. The wooden two-bedroom structure was granted to the family based on her needs. Isani Cayetano reports.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Christmas has come early this year for Viola Martinez and her family after receiving keys to a brand new home on Jane Usher Boulevard. Martinez was chosen from among a number of candidates for a new abode. It is part of an ongoing initiative spearheaded by Hand in Hand Ministries to assist the needy with somewhere to live. The newly built wooden structure is a collaborative effort with the Belize Bank.
Viola Martinez, Recipient of New Home
“I feel excited that I finally get the keys for my own house.”
Viola Martinez
Reporter
“How long have you been waiting for this house?”
Viola Martinez
“About six months.”
Reporter
“How did you get in contact with Hand in Hand Ministries?”
Viola Martinez
“Well a friend from church recommended me and then I went to the office and I applied.”
Reporter
“When you received the call that you were getting a new house, did you tell your family?”
Viola Martinez
“Well I didn’t tell nobody. I said I’ll wait and see how long I’ll wait. And then about a month before we had the bad flood, I was supposed to get a week before, and then I said well maybe I’ll wait a year again, but it wasn’t so long. And then they called me last week, about two weeks ago that Belize Bank is going to build my house. So I said well that’s going to be quick.”
Laurie Banner Herrera
Belize Bank’s public relations manager says that the partnership is something that is anticipated annually.
Laurie Banner Herrera, Public Relations Manager, Belize Bank
“Belize Bank is a big believer of giving back to the community in which we live and work and this is the fifth house that we are building. Since last year, this was something that was in our budget and that we planned for and it took us about three months to plan the entire process and I must say that this is something that we look forward to. The hardest thing is when we4 are short-listing and looking at each applicant and seeing which one is more deserving and needy because all of them were.”
Reporter
“The year is ending; do you guys have more houses in your budget for the New Year?”
Laurie Banner Herrera
“That is something definitely that we’ll look at next year. But as the year finish right now, this is what we had in store.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
